The Governor, with three or four most intimate friends, the Bishop,
La Corne St. Luc, Rigaud de Vaudreuil, and the Chevalier de
Beauharnais, remained in the room, conversing earnestly together on
the affair of Caroline de St. Castin, which awoke in all of them a
feeling of deepest pity for the young lady, and of sympathy for the
distress of her father. They were lost in conjectures as to the
quarter in which a search for her might be successful.
"There is not a fort, camp, house, or wigwam, there is not a hole or
hollow tree in New France where that poor broken-hearted girl may
have taken refuge, or been hid by her seducer, but I will find her
out," exclaimed La Corne St. Luc. "Poor girl! poor hapless girl!
How can I blame her? Like Magdalene, if she sinned much, it was
because she loved much, and cursed be either man or woman who will
cast a stone at her!"
"La Corne," replied the Governor, "the spirit of chivalry will not
wholly pass away while you remain to teach by your example the duty
of brave men to fair women. Stay and dine with me, and we will
consider this matter thoroughly! Nay, I will not have an excuse to-
day.
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